4Establishment and constitution of the Boar

(1) With effect from such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette appoint in this behalf, there shall be established for the purposes of this Act, a Board to be called the Coconut Development Board.

(2)The Board shall be a body corporate by the name aforesaid, having perpetual succession and common seal, with power to acquire, hold and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and to contract, and shall by the said name sue and be sued.

(3)The head office of the Board shall be at such place as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify.

(4)The Board shall consist of the following members, namely:--

(a)a Chairman, to be appointed by the Central Government;

(b) ¹ [the Horticulture Commissioner] to the Government of India, ex officio;

(c)the Director, Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), ex officio;

(d)the Chairman of the Coir Board constituted under section 4 of the Coir Industry Act, 1953 (45 of 1953),ex officio;

(e)three members of Parliament of whom two shall be elected by the House of the People and one by the Council of States;

(f)two members to be appointed by the Central Government to represent respectively the Ministries of the Central Government dealing with--

(i)Revenue; and

(ii)Civil Supplies and Co-operation;

(g)three members to be appointed by the Central Government one each to represent the Governments of the States of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, being States wherein coconut is grown on a large scale;

(h)five members to be appointed by the Central Government by rotation in the alphabetical order to represent the States of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Orissa and West Bengal and the Union territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry;

(i)four members to be appointed by the Central Government, two to represent the coconut growers of the State of Kerala and one each to represent the coconut growers of the States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka;

(j)one member to be appointed by the Central Government to represent the coconut processing industry;

(k)two members to be appointed by the Central Government to represent such other interests connected with the coconut industry as, in the opinion of that Government, ought to be represented:

Provided that every appointment under clauses (g) and (h) shall be made on there commendation of the State Government or, as the case may be, of the Union territory concerned.

(5)The Board shall elect, from amongst its members, a Vice-Chairman who shall exercise such of the powers and perform such of the functions of the Chairman as may be prescribed or as may be delegated to him by the Chairman.

(6)The term of office of the members and the manner of filling vacancies among, and the procedure to be followed in the discharge of their functions by, the members shall be such as may be prescribed.

(7)Any officer of the Central Government, not being a member of the Board, when deputed by that Government in this behalf, shall have the right to attend the meetings of the Board and take part in the proceedings thereof but shall not be entitled to vote.

(8)The Board may associate with itself in such manner, subject to such conditions and for such purposes as may be prescribed, any person whose assistance or advice it may desire in complying with any of the provisions of this Act and a person so associated shall have the right to take part in the discussions of the Board relevant to the purposes for which he has been associated but shall not have the right to vote and shall be entitled to receive such allowances or fees as may be fixed by the Central Government.

(9)No act or proceeding of the Board or any committee appointed by it under section9 shall be invalidated merely by reason of--

(a)any vacancy in, or any defect in the constitution of, the Board or such committee; or

(b)any defect in the appointment of a person acting as a member of the Board or such committee; or

(c)any irregularity in the procedure of the Board or such committee not affecting the merits of the case.

(10)The Board shall meet at such times and places and shall observe such rules of procedure in regard to the transaction of business at its meetings (including the quorum at meetings) as may be provided by regulations made by the Board under this Act.